The Fate of the Universe Depends on You, Part 3

When I last wrote about this topic in September 2016 (see The Fate of the Universe Depends on You Part 1 and Part 2), I said:

The Information Design Tool makes converting a classic UNV universe into a UNX universe simple. However, there remains the task of updating existing reports to use the new UNX universe.

Back then, I recommended that customers look for partner solutions in the SAP Analytics Extensions Directory (now integrated into the larger SAP App Center). Fast forward to last December’s release of SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence 4.2 SP5 and SAP has provided its own solution as part of a new Automation Framework. I presented a session, also entitled The Fate of the Universe Depends on You, at the recent SAP Insider BI and HANA 2018 conference in Las Vegas about this new feature. Here’s the Cliff Notes version.

The Automation Framework was created to automate routine and repetitive administrative tasks. Converting reports to use UNX is just one example of a repetitive task supported by 4.2 SP5 and we can expect that future service packs will include built-in support for additional tasks. I believe we can also expect partners to create workflows for additional repetitive tasks once an SDK is available for the Automation Framework. Ganesh Duraisamy provides an overview of the Automation Framework and its terminology in his blog, Automation Framework – Concept.

The Automation Framework resides not in the Central Management Console, but a new Fiori-based administration portal called the BI Administration Console, which can be accessed at http://[server]:[port]/BOE/BIAdminConsole for BI 4.2 SP5 and higher.

SAP has created a couple of very helpful YouTube videos that explain how to configure the Automation Framework and how to create scenarios that convert batches of Web Intelligence reports to use a converted UNX universe instead of the old UNV universe.

How to Configure the Automation Framework – YouTube

How to Change Source of Web Intelligence Documents and Refresh Documents SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform – YouTube

You’ll want to bookmark SAP KB 2585412 – BI Administration Console in 4.2 SP05+, as we can expect the BI Administration Console to slowly supersede the Central Management Console as its management areas are given the Fiori treatment. We’ll soon learn what SAP intends to deliver in BI 4.2 SP6 (mid-2018) and SP7 (end of 2018). One can only hope that the portions of the CMC that are Adobe Flash based (like the monitoring dashboard) get Fiori-fied sooner rather than later.

Lastly, remember that the workflow of UNX-based queries through your BI landscape is different than the workflow of UNV-based queries. If you’ve never used UNX universes before, this may be the first time your DSL Bridge service is getting a workout. Multi-source universes also utilize the Data Federation service and the recent addition of set analysis to the BI platform also uses the Set Materialization Service. It might be helpful to review your Adaptive Processing Server configuration as well as SAP KB 1694041 – How do you configure the Adaptive Processing Server (APS) for improved performance and scalability?

UNX adoption is key for organizations who want to use on-premise SAP Lumira Discovery or SAP Lumira Designer (formerly known as Design Studio). It’s also required for bringing universe-based data to SAP Analytics Cloud [ wow – I just noticed that all three of those products were rebranded since I wrote parts one and two of this series ]. The Information Design Tool and its UNX format should be your tool of choice for any new universes your organization creates as you contemplate the best way to upgrade your older UNV universes and reports.

I hope this small series of articles will help you achieve that goal.